Jambs b



(No Model.)

J. B, MURRAY.

MAIL BAG.

. Paten-ted Api. 85 1884.y

JAMES B. MURRAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,794, dated April 8,1384.

(No model.)

To all whom, t may concern Be it known that I, Jiiiuns B. MURRAY, of thecity, county, and State of New York, have inview ofthe top oi' the bag;Fig. 2, a likefront view; Fig. 3, a front view of the top of the bagwhen opened; Fig. 5, a sectional View of Fig. l at :c fr; Fig. f1, thesame sectional view with the strap withdrawn; Fig. 6, an enlarged Viewof the strap, and Fig. 7 a sectional view of the strap at y y.

A represents the front of thebag, and A the rear. The bag may beconstructed of leather, canvas,or any other suitable material; and Iremark that my invention may be used as saddle-bags. The bag may be ofany suitable form; but the top should be dat when closed.

B represents the doubling or extra thickness of leather or othermaterial, preferably' encircling and attached to the top of the bag toprotect it from wear. One side of the bag, or preferably oi' thedoubling, may be extended on the rear side into the nap N, to fold overthe front of the bag and'close its mouth.

F F represent the hooks, preferably attached tothe flap, preferably byrivets n n', and which, when the bag and the flap folded over it areclosed, pass through the slots M M in the top of thebag and project onthe rear side sufciently far to allow the locking-strap C, provided withthe flange or strip D, to be drawn under them. These hooks F F are madepreferably of steel or chilled iron. Instead ofthe above arrangement, Iremark that the hooks I- F may be otherwise attached-21s, e. g., wherethere is no flap to one side of the bag itself, so that when it isclosed they will pass through slots on its other side and project; orthey may be attached to a lap fastened onto the front of thel bag A.just below the doubling B, and adapted to i'old upward over thedoubling, and to allow the hooks F F to pass through the slots M M. Thisstrip D may consist of one ormore thicknesses of material, and'may befastened to the strap C by rivets or sewing, but preferablyr by both.The strap G preferably comes enough below the hooks F F to take hold ofit in pulling it through, and may be permanently attached to the lap ofthe bag by the staple L, by rivets, or otherwise.

E and G are metallic plates to guard the slots at each end of the strapC.

I is the usual metallic destination-plate, which may be attached to theflap N by the staple J but any other destinati oil-card device might beused in its stead.

H is a staple, also attached to the flap N; and K, any. suitablepadlock.

The hooks F may, if desired, have their front fore arm inclined a littleinward, and the slots M may be cut a little larger at the bottom, todiminish the risk of the hooks catching in the bag when being withdrawn.If the sides of the mouth of the open bag, as shownin Fig. 3, beclosedtogether and the iiap be now folded forward over the mouth, the hooks FF will pass through the slots M M, and will project in the rear, asshown in Fig. Land thelockingstrap C may be quickly drawn longitudinallyunder the hooks F F, its strip or iiangeD lill- 'ing up the space withinthe hooks, and the slotted end ofthe strap C may be slipped over thestaple H, the destination-plate I may be pressed over it, and both maybe secured by the padlock K. It will now be readily seen that the bag issecurely closed, as until the padlock is unlocked the bag cannot beopened without destroying it, for the side A cannot be withdra-wnwithout breaking the hooks F, and the ap cannot be withdrawn withoutbreaking the hooks or tearing the strip D from the strap C. These areboth made of suiiicient strength and firmness to resist all usualstrains. The bag is readily unlocked, as it has been locked, by simplywithdrawing the strap C longitudinally.

VVhatI claim as my invention, and desireto f secure by Letters Patent,is-

l.4 The combination, in a bag, of rigid hooks attached to one side ofthe bag or to a flap,

and adapted, when the bag is closed, to pass through its other side andproject, with an independent exible locking device adapted to be drawnunder said projecting hooks, and thereby prevent the opening of the bag,substantialiy as described. A

2. The combination, in a bag, of rigid'hooks attached to one side,adapted, when the bag is closed, to pass through its other side and pro-1o ject, with a flanged locking-strap adapted to be drawn under saidprojecting hooks, thereby preventing the opening of the bag, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a bag provided with slots near its top, of a flapwith rigid hooks attached, adapted, when the bag is closed and the flapfo1ded,to pass through and project beyond the slots, with an independentflexible locking device adapted to be drawn under said projecting hooks,substantially as and for the 2o purposes described.

4. The combination, in a bag provided with slots near its top, of a flapwith rigid hooks attached, adapted, when the bag and iiap are closed, topass through and project beyond the 25 D, substantially as and for thepurposes de- 3o scribed.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 3d day of March, A. D. 1884.

JAMES B. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. CLUTE, HAYWARD JOHNSTON.

